What is you opinion on sit ups? I used to avoid sit ups because "they're bad for your back", but for the past year I've started doing them again and find them to be way more effective than crunches. They are much more of a compound movement, and, they replicate a movement which you're actually going to be doing in normal life – getting out of bed, getting off the ground after fooling around with your kids (which makes it useful in my opinion).

Elliot

So I've been trying to get a six pack that is defined, but not ripped. And I've been doing ab exercises for a while. I have a strong core, yet no definition. I have been doing planks for a month and a half now along with a few other crunch-like exercies. And my BMI is 18%, but my question is that I know that six pack is there, but how do I coerce it to come out? I mean, do I need to lose some of that little weight down there, even if there's basically nothing to lose?

Thanks!
Chelsea

Im 19years old and heavily into soccer. I have big trials coming up soon and i am training hard yet see no results in terms of gaining weight. I am 5'9 and weight 10st2 or around 140lbs. I would like to get up to 150lbs and get more ripped in the chest and abs. Can you tell me what I have to do please!?
Regards
Joe

I set it at a 2.0 incline. I read a study showing that this is what works the same muscles as regular running. It obviously isn't as tough as regular running, but as close as you can get on the treadmill.

Kristin,

This looks like a solid short term strategy. Many people would freak at the idea of someone eating less than 1,000 calories a day. It works extremely well, but just as a short term deal (2-3 weeks on and a week off). Tom Cruise recently dropped 10 pounds by eating 1,200 calories per day for 5 weeks. In fact one of the main books I recommend on this site, the Rapid Fat Loss Handbook, is based upon scientific "crash dieting".

As far as losing muscular thunder thighs…avoid all direct leg lifts and focus on cardio that makes you breath hard without creating "a pump" in your legs. So things like running on the treadmill are good, but avoid the exercise bike for a while.

Hope that makes sense!

Rusty

also, is there a way i can slim down my muscular thunder thighs??
thanks!

This type of workout does make you mentally tough. The good thing is that it makes lifting weights feel like a vacation. I still believe that traditional strength training and lifting is the easiest form of exercise…even maxing out with a heavy singles…which makes me laugh, because guys in the free-weight area give off a vibe that they are doing the tough workouts. I love free-weight training, but consider the easiest part of my workout.

Helder,

Thanks buddy. I just want a friendlier place for those who want to get in exceptional shape without looking "muscle-bound". Most women don't even want to look as muscular as a typical fitness model…they would rather have a physique like Megan Fox, Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba, Angelina Jolie, etc. Guys for the most part would rather have a build like Daniel Craig, Will Smith, Brad Pitt, etc. There are some guys who would rather get as big as possible. Although, they are in the minority…the majority of fitness sites focus on the big look. I felt I had to set this site up…there was a need for this.

Super-Trainer,

That was cool for Gymjunkies.com to list my site as one of the top fitness sites on the Internet. There are a few sites on that list that were new to me, so I need to go back and check those as well. So much to read…so little time.

Abril,

Planks will do wonders for your mid section. It sounds like you know exactly what to do to lose that baby weight. Running works well if done properly…don't listen to your trainer. I live near a place in Seattle with a 3 mile path around it and see some women in great shape running around the lake. It works for them.

Dan,

The less you depend upon pills the better you will do. The only time I would recommend any pills is possibly for 3-4 weeks leading up to a special event…maybe to lose that last little bit of fat (3-4 pounds). I lean towards staying away from most pills, because you can get as lean as you want without them…but some probably help a little. Make sure they are safe and don't take anything long-term.

Josh,

You sound like a good personal trainer. Thanks for the compliment.

Ron,

The Breath of Dragon is a little diffferent than Vaccuums. I'll search for a video.

Rusty